Editor’s Comment: Tipping the balance on race equality
When Red Ken recently likened a journalist to a ‘concentration camp guard’ the particulars of the Race Relations Act may not have been at the forefront of his mind; Editor’s Comment looks at the state of parity in UK plc.By Annie Hayes Political history is dotted with the gaffs of great leaders and the royal […]
Pay settlements break free of ‘doldrums’
After months of pay stagnation at 3%, settlements have risen by an average 0.3%.Pay analysts IRS, report that wage awards concluded between November last year and January 2005 have averaged at 3.3%. This latest finding means that the IRS headline measure of pay awards has reached its highest level for more than six years, having […]
Review: Coaching with Colleagues
Title: Coaching with ColleaguesAuthors: Erik de Haan & Yvonne BurgerPublisher: Plagrave MacmillanISBN: 1403943230Price: £25.00Review by: Nigel Harris Subtitled “An action guide for learning”, this book brings together a rigorous academic approach from traditional therapeutic disciplines and modern, practical applications as developed in contemporary coaching methods. The book was originally published in Dutch, Erik de Haan […]
E-mail zaps productivity
Almost 40% of workers in the UK, Germany and the US waste an hour a day e-mailing friends and relatives or swapping jokes online.These are the latest ‘time-wasting’ findings from Clearswift, the company that manages content security software for email and the web.The other 60% aren’t angels either with the majority admitting to spending up […]
Government focuses on basic and vocational skills
There will be a tougher focus on the three Rs and new work-based diplomas for 14 to 19-year-olds in England, but GCSEs and A levels will remain, the government has announced. The new diplomas will be set at three levels and cover 14 different areas of study. They will only be applied to vocational studies […]
Outsourcing: Payroll – a safe way to test the water
By James Hall, Hewitt AssociatesThe latest research from Hewitt into business process outsourcing (BPO) in Europe shows that, when people set up shared services, they are uncomfortable with outsourcing everything in one go. Rather than take the plunge, 44% said they would prefer to test the waters – by outsourcing payroll. This is not a […]
Opinion: The changing landscape of HR technology
The merger of Oracle and Peoplesoft has pushed open the door for vendors hoping to challenge the leadership landscape; Softscape’s Alexander Bartfeld explores the evolving market and finds out what it means for HR professionals. There has been a flurry of market predictions about who will lead the pack ever since the consolidation of the […]
Revenue update: E-filing
See the latest update from the Inland Revenue, compiled especially for HRZone members, looking at e-filing, the obligations and incentives for complying ahead of time. What is online filing?Online filing means sending your information direct to our computer. It’s secure, convenient, quick and much more efficient than using paper, cutting down on storage space, postage […]
Feature: Simon Parsons, Chair of IREEN talks ‘payroll’ with HRZone
From May 2005 managers will be required to file year-end returns online; Annie Hayes talked to Simon Parsons, Chair of the Inland Revenue’s Electronic Exchange Network (IREEN) and head of payroll processing and legislation at Ceridian about the future of payroll, how the new regulations will change the current landscape and why he thinks the […]
Q&A: International payroll and the outsourcing debate
Karen Paterson, Group CEO and founder of solutions provider, Patersons answers your questions on international payroll, how to select a payroll provider and what challenges e-filing presents. International payrollQ1: What are the key considerations for setting up a payroll abroad?A: This can be quite a complex area. Questions that need to be answered are: Does […]
Feature: Making HR transformation work – six steps to success
By Bettina Pickering and Neil McEwen, PA Consulting Group For almost a decade, major organisations have been restructuring their HR functions to focus on higher value activities and make HR transactional delivery as efficient and inexpensive as possible; Bettina Pickering and Neil McEwen assess whether they have succeeded. Here are six elements that HR functions […]
City workers brave upto bonus reality
Research by recruitment outfit, Morgan McKinley reveals that despite falling bonus payouts more workers are happy with their lot.In 2004, only 40% of City workers indicated satisfaction with their bonus payouts, a figure that has increased to 54% in 2005.The news is surprising considering the average bonus this year was 31% of the base salary […]
Tax credits and employers: Primarolo under pressure
Consultation on the payment of working tax credit by employers, including the promised move to direct payment by the Inland Revenue, has “ceased entirely,” according to tax and business representatives.A reliable source suggested today that the Government did not want to talk about the issue until after the general election. But the Treasury told sister […]
Tesco staff ‘check-out’ shares windfall
Tesco staff are reaping the rewards of two Save As You Earn (SAYE) schemes which have paid out £106 million to 45,000 staff.With Tesco share price now over three pounds, top investors have cleared as much as £7,000.Despite, the windfall over 74% of the retail staff have chosen to keep their shares.Tesco chief executive Sir […]
UK leaders honest but lack soft skills
Leaders rate highly on honesty, integrity and delivery, but are less skilled in areas such as empathy and awareness of colleagues, according to a new study.Nearly 9000 people were asked to rate their leaders – from directors to project managers – on 38 measures that define leadership. Overall, the results showed that women are ranked […]
Bad weather fails to dampen bosses resolve
Employers are expecting workers to turn up to the office regardless of weather conditions, even where extreme snowfall causes severe delays.According to Croner, fifty-two percent of employers polled believe that adverse weather is insufficient grounds for additional paid leave. But advises Croner, with occurrences of freak weather on the rise, bosses might do well to […]
Opinion: Behavioural contracting – an organisational must
By Gladeana McMahon, Head of Coaching, FairplaceThere are a number of professional issues that need to be taken into account when undertaking business coaching and perhaps the most important is that of contracting. Business coaching contracting needs to reflect the needs of the organisation. The organisation is paying for the coaching and therefore wants to […]
Member wire #87 – Reward – the cash-cow
================================================================ HR Zone Members Newswire Issue 87 22 February 2005 http://www.hrzone.co.uk ================================================================ SITE HIGHLIGHTS **** SITE HIGHLIGHTS **** SITE HIGHLIGHTS **** 1. Editor’s Comment: Reward – the cash-cow 2. Keep workers’ health records in line with Data Protection 3. How Did I Get Here? Martin Schmalenbach 4. HR ‘job for life’ … is no longer […]
Payroll Tip: Payments for private medical insurance
These questions are being answered by Learn HR, a market leader in the provision of HR and payroll training and nationally-recognised professional qualifications. Q: When premiums are paid annually, how is the benefit reported on form P11D? A: Section I of form P11D is used to report the provision of private medical treatment or insurance to […]
NHS look to Africa to plug skills gap
The National Health Service (NHS) is stripping Africa of its doctors, according to a new report published today by the charity, Save the Children and Medact.Using Ghana as a case study, the report reveals that between 1999 and 2004, the total number of doctors registered in the UK and trained in Ghana, doubled from 143 […]
